>26.2 - Scratch The Itch

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Tuesday, 11 March 2014

I wrote this post almost 10 months ago and so much has changed in my running world since then so I though I'd repost it to give context to my future posts. I am also injured, just like last year! I feel a bit like Bruce Willis "how can the same shit happen to the same man twice?" John Mcclane -Die Hard 2

Anyway - here it is.

Long Distance Learning Curve

I'm sat here with so much in my head, so many thoughts, so many questions and feelings. As the content of my last post stated I have had various injuries that are taking a while to heal. By "a while" I mean 5 weeks, 5 weeks!! What's up with me? I went years without running more than the length of a bus now I start to unravel after just 5 weeks! I've told myself to grow up, pull myself together to get on with the multiple jobs that need doing round the house*. Realistically this isn't a long time but for a runner who is actively training for races, its a life time.

At the time of writing, I have just come off a 10 days rest period and I have been on a few steady runs. While I have been resting, to occupy my mind, I have been filling my time with online research, rehab tips and inspiration. The internet is awash with sites dedicated to running far, who knew? I didn't when I first got into it. It all happened when a friend said lets run from London to Brighton, it's only 100 kilometres. I instantly said yes and here is my race report from the day. and here is the aftermath report.

Most of the quotes used in this post are from a brilliant no frills website that is full ultra stuff. It can be found here http://www.run100s.com/

Why couldn't Pheiddipedes have died at 20 miles? (a brief history of running a long way)**

The idea of humans running far isn't new, we've always done it. Up until recently (relative to human history) we had to chase down our food and sometimes these chases went on for days. If you didn't run, you didn't eat, there were no shops to nip out to in the car, no takeaways or restaurants. Then one some bright spark who was probably the guy who first said "you'll do your knees in running". This bright spark had brains, he made traps and weapons. As a result we became farmers and we didn't need to run as much. We then only had to run to get to or away from something quickly. We then used our brains again, we invented better weapons so we didn't have to run away any more We domesticated animals and used them to pull vehicles. Pretty soon as adults, we weren't running at all. You'll notice I said "as adults"? If you look at children playing, they don't walk anywhere. They're at A they play for a bit then they will sprint to B, play a bit more then sprint to C and so on... Running is an innate instinct and rather than learning to run, it is in fact the other way round, we are born running and we are taught not to!!!

So - we have an instinct to run but we don't have a reason to run, what do we do? We invent running for fun which satisfies other human instincts (humans are show off's). Once races were invented we needed something for the nutters to do. Along came another bright spark who'd read about Pheiddipedes who was some greek guy who ran a long way once and the marathon was born. The next time you are running in a marathon and you're at the 18 miles hitting the wall mark. Just think to yourself "why couldn't Pheiddipedes have have died at 20 miles" you'd be nearly finished by now, it's all his fault.While i'm on the marathon - A few weeks ago I watched the London Marathon coverage and I was listening to the commentary by Brendan Foster. He says something every time I watch the coverage. "This is the ultimate test in endurance running."It drives me mad. I have nothing against doing a marathon, I've done them and they are hard work. In a lot of ways they are harder than running an ultra but are they the ultimate test in endurance running?

The longest I have ever run none stop i.e. no walking at all, just running, is 29 miles. That was my last training run before the London to Brighton 100k last year. I have since learned that you don't have to run a whole ultra but I'll get to that later. Back to the training run, it was a beautiful spring morning. I ran unsupported, carried all my water and food and I ran pretty fast (relative to the distance) and I averaged just over 10 minutes per mile. The route was a mixture or gravel paths, forest trail and fells and from 20 miles the pain set in.

"Pain is a wonderful thing and now I was feeling wonderful, really wonderful!!!"- Unknown trail runner

I lost my first toenail on this run and it was the first time I'd ever gone above 26.2 miles. There were no crowds, no aid stations and no medals at the finish. The weird thing is, it was still just a training run and afterwards I went about my usual Sunday business. It was also the first time I experienced the "runners high". It didn't matter how much I was hurting because I was buzzing all day long.

"Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..."- David Blaikie

It's occurred to me that I never seriously talk about running to anyone. Sure I "talk" about running, I talk all the time. I'll say "I'm going for a run" or answer something like "just 10 miles" after someone asks how far. Colleagues are the best, it's good to mess about with their heads. One was "what are you training for?" they asked "I'm doing a 100k run" I said. There are usually 3 reactions, there are the ones that hear 10k even though you've said 100k. They'll say "that's cool, I'd like to do one of those". Then there are the ones who are slightly impressed but think you're an idiot. The final reaction to telling someone you like to run far is the realist, the stating the bloody obvious type. I got this reaction a couple of weeks ago when I first injured my achilles. I was limping up the office into the area where we make drinks. "What have you done?" he asked, I've completely shredded my achilles tendon I exaggerated. "How?" he asked "oh you know... running" I say. "F*ck that shit man, it can only do you harm at your age, stop it now!" he says. I laugh and he says "no I'm serious, I'm the same age as you (he's older) and when I want a drink, I jump out of my chair and skip down the office to make one, none of this shit" as gestures at my feet. Well that told me I thought.

"A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well."- G. K. Chesterton

This got me thinking about the whole ultra thing, why do I want to push myself to breaking point? Who is it for? is it for myself, is it some sort of weird attention seeking thing or is it a mid-life crisis? I don't know the answer. All I know for sure is a quick 5 miles on the road doesn't do it for me, never has, never will. I'd rather wake up on a Monday morning and not be able to walk because of a stupid long run or a punishing outing in the Peaks than be skipping down the office for a cup of tea. The truth is I like it.....

"My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was

right. I feel ten years older already."

- Milton Berle

Most doctors would agree that regular exercise will help most people look younger. That's all well and good but where is the sweet spot, at what point does the training have a detrimental effect on how you look? Take fell running and I regard fell runners to be some of most talented athletes there is. Go to any fell race, look at the runners, the sunken cheeks, the sinew, the veins like hose pipes. Do they look younger than their years? Most fell runners look 40 even if they are 20! Then think ultra, an ultra can add 10 years to your looks in one day. Not only do you feel like an old man\woman when you've finished, you look like one too!

"The thing I don't like about Western States is that you show up at thestarting line in the best shape of your life and a day later you are inAuburn in the worst shape of your life."- Andy Black, on Western States

To be an ultra runner and you'll notice I didn't say good ultra runner or bad for that matter, to be an ultra runner you have to be able to run a long way. That's it and in most cases to complete an ultra you just need to be able to cover this distance with a mixture of run\walking that and win the battle with your mind. It doesn't matter that by the end you'd quicker walking than doing the ultra shuffle that you see at so many races.

"The race continued as I hammered up the trail, passing rocks and treesas if they were standing still."- Red Fisher, Wasatch '86

It doesn't matter if you're in last place, all that matters is crossing the finish line. I've had a DNF and I'm glad it happened early in my ultra journey. I don't regret pulling out of the race in question, I was injured but I wasn't injured enough. I lost the battle with my head, my head was saying, you wont be able to walk tomorrow but if I wanted to be able to walk the day after races, I'd do marathons or other fun runs :-). I think I invented this next quote, i can't find any reference to anywhere. Me and my mate Karl were going to have T shirts made with it on.

"I run Ultra but I sometimes run marathons and other fun runs." - Loxley Crawshaw, Just before the 2012 L2B 100k

I'm not a seasoned ultra runner and I don't even know at what point I'll be able to say I am but with each race of any length I learn a bit more about myself, how to pace, how to fuel and how to prepare mentally. I don't intend to do this forever but I do intend to give it my best shot and I have a few things I want to have a go at. A 100 mile race has got to be on the list as are some multi day races. So the plan is to stay injury free as much as possible and go on an ultra journey into the unknown.

* I did nothing in the house.
**There is no historical, sociological or anthropology fact in this paragraph.

Monday, 1 April 2013

*Update - My achilles injury seems to be slowly healing but I haven't run for a week! now I have some sort of cold. I think the Yorkshire 3 Peaks fell race is looking in doubt now.

Well for the first time in almost a year I have an injury that is stopping me running, it's only been 5 days but it seems like a lifetime. I'm a typical man and I always self diagnose myself before seeing an expert. I believe (with the help of Google) that I have a minor rupture or tear in my left Achilles tendon. It happened during a hill training session last week. I believe I know the reason why, I wore old trainers because my usual ones were wet, big mistake! So I know when, I know how but when will I be able to run again?

This is not good, I'm a runner, I need to run! I've turned into a right miserable git and it made me realise how much running is part of my life now. Not only that but Just last week I decided I was going to make things official and join a club. I decided at 43, even though I enjoy running on my own that I would benefit from being in a club. After lots of research (5 minutes) I decided there was only one club for me and that is Dark Peak Fell Runners. Can you even join a running club when injured? Will they take me on? Should I wait until my injury is healed? so many questions! I will defer my decision for a few more days. Until then I need to rest and try to find a cure for my miserable gititis.

>26.2 - Scratching the Itch

Hi and welcome to my blog. It's about running. That's it really.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention ofarrivingsafely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid inbroadside in acloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, andloudly proclaiming"Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. Thompson